Alaska Airlines agreed to start the route June 12. It is the sixth new airline and 11th new destination the airport has added in four years.

Ahmad said more than 200 people a day shuttle to and from the Pacific Northwest by air, and that airport officials expect the new route to generate as much as $750,000 a year for the city-owned airfield.

Aviation Board Chairwoman Cheryl Teamer described the new flight in a statement as likely to be "very popular."

The daily service, flown on a 737-800 aircraft, which holds about 150 passengers, will include one incoming flight in the morning and a departing one in the evening.

The news comes as the airport prepares to embark on an $826 million project to build a new terminal, parking area, hotel and access roads.

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